Time-controlled locking mechanism



June l2, B923.

E. M. CLARK TIME CONTROLLED LOCKING MECHANISM Filed July 23 1921 3 SheetS-Sheetl 50m/v M. c

CLM orme/3 June l2, ,11923.

y ,458,325 E. M. CLARK TIME CONTROLLED LOCKING MECHANISM 'Filed July 23. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 @37 @Mfg @itat/11,6?

Jun@ 112, 1923. l mamas E. M. CLARK TIME CONTROLLED LOCKING MECHANISM Patented dune l2, i923.

T NT

TIMIE-CON'ROLLED LOCKING ."MEECHANISI.

Application tiled July 23, 1921. Serial No. 486,962.

T all whom t may concern.'

Be it known .that I, EDWIN M. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clarkston, in the ,county of Oakland and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful rlime.-Controlled Locking Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

rThis invention relates to `time controlled locking mechanisms, andparticularly relates to time controlled drawer locks.

It is the object of the invention to safeguard cash drawers, or other receptacles for valuables, against robbery (and especially hold-up) by providing means controlled by av conveniently located electricA switch or switches for automatically effecting closing and locking of suchk drawers or receptacles.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of mechanism,` energized as the drawer is closed and locked, for effecting unlocking after a predetermined lapse of'time sufiicient to insure safety after an attempted robbery or hold-up which has necessitated operation of the automatic locking means.

In attaining these objects the invention contemplates associating with a cash drawer, or other receptacle for valuables, an electric motor adapted, by means of ,suitably dis posed switches to be energized,l immediately upon discovery of the presence of a hold-up man, said motor driving mechanism, for first effecting .closing and locking of the drawer or receptacle and thereupon .energizinga slow motion drive for releasing the lock after a `predetermined interval.

A preferred embodiment of Athe invention is hereinafter described yand is illustrated in thel accompanying drawings, wherein,

Fig. 1 is Aa plan view'of the invention as applied to a cash drawer, the latter being shown in closed positioin 1 Figs. 2, 3 and tare views taken upon a common line 2 2, 3 3 and Ll-t of Fig. 1, showing the drawer in section and the associated mechanism. in elevation, and in different positions of adjustment. y

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line 55 of'Fig.- 1, showing the .driving partscarried by `a certain shaft.

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail taken on line 6-6 offFig. 1.

F ig. 7 is a sectional det-ail of a ratchet wheel and pawl, taken on line 7 7 of F ig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail on line of F ig. 1.

In these views the reference character 1 designates a cash drawer having the parallel rearward extensions 1 respectively at each side thereof. Between said extensions there is arranged a stationary base or platform 2 upon which is mounted actuating and locking and unlocking mechanism 'for the drawer. Upon the platform 2, `substantially midway between the ends thereof, -a rockshaft 3 mounted in bearings 4L. Upon said shaft is centrally 4pivoted an oscillatory frame y5 'carrying at one side of its pivot the motor 6. At the other side of said pivot a shaft 7 is mounted transverselyof the frame in bearings 8, said shaft being driven from the shaft 9 of themotor through Vthe worm 110 and worm wheel 11. 12 isa pair of eccentrics fast upon the shaft 7 .and 'engaging respectively in horizontally elongated openings 13 formed in a pair of oscillatory yoke members 14, which is pfivoted `terminally upon a shaft 15 mounted in bearings 16 upon the end of the frame 5. The ends of the yoke members 14; adjacent 'the .motor car-ry a rod 17 upon which are swung pawls 18, 19, 20 and 2.1. The -pawls 18 and 19 respectively engage ratchet wheels 22 and 23, mounted loosely upon the' shaft 7, outside of the yoke lmembe-rs 14. The pawl 20-bears upon a ring 24 concentrically secured to the ratchet wheel 22 and formed at one ,point of its @periphery with a Anotch 25, which when registered with the pawl 2() permits the vsame to drop slightly from its normal (position. The pawl 21 is engageable with a short laiteral extension 26 of the toothed rim of the ratchet wheel 23, when the rotative vposition of said ratchet wheel permits such vengagement. The two pawls 19 and 29 are constrained -te swing'inunison by a bar V27 :connecting their weighted lower ends. U pon oneof its lateral faces the ratchetwheel 23 carries a cam 28 adapted' to coi-act with the stepped under face kof an' abutment arm 29, integrally projecting from a standard .39

mounted fast upon the platform 2, said -un-' der face having the upper and lower steps 31 and 32. Upon the Vend `portions of the shaft 7 there are mounted fast gears 33, which, when the front end of the frame 5 is upwardly rocked as sho-wn in ldig. 3, are adapted to mesh with a pair of inverted rack-bars 34 secured at their forward ends to the drawer 1 by the brackets 35. The rear extremities of said lrack-bars are attached to the drawer extensions 1 by brackets 36 having integral depending extensions 37 ,the lower end portions of which extend toward each other as indicated at 38 to form keepers for gravity locking pawls 39 p-ivoted upon the ends ofthe yshaft 3. The free ends of said locking pawls are formed with heads to engage said keepers andv the under faces of said heads are beveledv as indicatedat 40 so that they may ride upon the keepers to prevent the latter offering any obstruction to the closing of the drawer. rlhe ratchet wheels 22 and 23 are respectively engaged by detent pawls 41 mounted loosely on the' shaft 15, which restrain said wheels against rotation reverse to the step-by-step drive ef,- fected by the pawls 18 and 19.

As is shown iny Fig. 1,\the circuit 42 of the "motor -6 includes the manually controlled switch 43,v which may be remote from said motor, and said circuit is further controlled by an automatic switch comprising the Contact members 44 and 45, the former carriedby the motor-supporting end of the rocker-'frame 5, and thelatter having its upper end pivoted at 46 upon a standard 47 mounted fast upon the base 2` Said standard further:y carries an adjusting screw 48 for positioning the member to insure the poperengaging by gravity of said member with the contact 44. l

Considering now the operation of the de scribed invention, normally the. manually controlled switchv 43 isopen and the automatic switch 44, 45 isy closed, the rocker framev 5 being. maintained in the position shown in F ig. 2 by engagement of the cam 28 with thestep 31 of the abutment arm 29.v Incase of an attemptedhold-up the switch 43, which is-so located as tobereadily accessible, is closed." The motor 6, being thusenergized, drives the shaft 7 through the worm 10 andy worm wheel 11. Upon each' revolution o-f the shaft 7 the yoke members 14'are oscillated by the eccentrics 12, and the ymovement of the pawl 18 resulting from each Voscillation is suflicient to advance the ratchet wheel 22 a distance equal to the circumferential extent of one of its teeth. Since under initial conditions, the lateral extension 26 of the, ratchet wheel 23 is engaged by the pawl-21 said wheel will similarly be subjected initially to a step-by-step drive in unison with' the ratchet wheel 22.

Just before this drive carries said lateral extension clear of the pawl 21, the cam 28 .keeper 38 lifts the pawl 39 through engagement with the beveled edge 40 thereof, said pawl drop-pingl into Alocking engagement with the keeper, as shown in Fig. 3, after thev latter hasbeen shifted rearwardly from beneath the pawl. The drawer is now positively locked in closed position. To linsure against the drawer beingropened until enough time has elapsed to eliminatev the danger, by reason of which the drawer was closed, a slow motion mechanism makesprovision for 1 releasingthedrawer from lthe locking pawl. Thus a quite gradualstepportion yof such travel the pawl 20 rides upon the ring 24, yand by virtue of theconnecting bar 27 holdsl the pawl 19 clear of the ratchet wheel 23. At one point, however, in

each revolution of the ratchet'wheel 22 and ring 24, the sloty 25 injsaid ringfregisters -by-step travel of the ratchet wheel 22 is efi lfected by the pawl18 due to oscillation o f 90/ the yoke members 14.y During thel major withv the *pawl 20, allowing a sufficient ,swinging thereof to engagefthe f connected pawl 19 with the ratchet-wheel 23.v -The length of the slot 25. is such'` as to' permit such engagement to endure-r only during actuation of the ratchet wheel 23 through the circumferential extent of one tooth thereof. Thus while the driveof the ratchet wheel 22 is quite gradual, that of th'e'ratchet wheel 23 is' muchmore so since .thek latter shifts only the length of one tooth for each revolution of the former. .the ratchet wheel 23 completes a revolution, the ycamv 28A rides into engagement with thestep 32 of the abutment arm 29and1 rocks the 'frame 5 to the position shown in Fig. 4, in which the contact 44 is raised clear of the contact 45, breakingthe circuit 42 and stopping the motor. Also as said frameassumes thepositionshown in Fi'g.`4, the arm 49, projecting from the france5, raises the pawl 39 clear of its keeper 38, permitting the drawer.

to be opened. l The gears 33 being clear of the racks 34 in the describ'edposition of the frame 5, said elementsl will offer no y'resist-v v ance toopening ofthe drawer. y Asnthe, drawer 1s initially opened afterceachlocking operation a trip arm 50 pivotal-ly mounted upon a bracket 51 carried by one of the racks 34 will engage a lugl 52 'on the rim portion of the ratchet wheel 23 rotating said wheel and its cam to the position shown in Fig. 2, in which the auto-matic switch v44, 45

is closed.; Thei` switch 43 having been opened, prior tov openi'n'gof the dra-wer, no energization ot the motor wiirllloccur, but'the circ-uit `will beclosed tothe motor Vso that the latter will be energized whenever thev switch 43 is again closed.

The time internal elapsing prior to unlocking of the drawer by the slow motion mechanism may be variously predetermined, an hour ordinarily being ample time to eliminate a threatened danger of robbery. While the mechanism has been described as applied to a drawer, it is evident that the invention is broadly applicable to any swinging or sliding receptacle for valuables.

What I claim is:

l'. In a device of the character described, the combination with a drawer, of mechanism for closing said drawer, a motor arranged to actuate said mechanism, controlling means for said motor, remote therefrom, a locking member for said drawer automatically engaging the same when closed, and a p slow-motion release mechanism for said` member driven by said motor.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a receptacle for valuables, of an electric inotor for closing said receptacle, a switch remote from said motor controlling the same, means effective upon closing of the receptacle for automatically locking the same, a slow-motion release mechanism for the locking means driven by said motor, and a switch controlling the motor automatically opened by said release mechanism upon release of the locking means.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a receptacle for valuables, of an electric motor for closing said receptacle, a manually operable control switch for said motor remote therefrom, means etfective upon closing said receptacle for locking the same, a second motor control switch in series with the lirst-mentioned switch and arranged adjacent the motor, and means operable by the motorfor opening said adjacent switch subsequent to closing of said receptacle by the motor.

4. In a device of the character described1 the combination with a drawer, of a rack carried thereby, extending in the direction of travel of the drawer, a motor stationary with respect to said rack, a gear adapted to mesh with the rack, a slow-motion drive from said gear to said rack, means remote from said motor for controlling the same, and means eiective upon closing the drawer for automatically locking the same.

5. In a device of the character described,

vthe combination with a drawer, of a mechanism for closing said drawer, a motor for driving said mechanism, means normally breaking the drive connection from said mechanism tothe drawer to provide Ifor normal operation of the Adrawer independently of-said mechanism,ineansremote from the motor for controlling the same,'means electivefupon'closing of the drawer for locking the sainepand means operable by the motor forv establishing the drive connection from said mechanism to the drawer, upon energization` of the motor.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with a receptacle for valuables, of a motor for closing said receptacle, a pivotal support for said motor, means remote from the motor for controlling the same, means e'ective upon closing said receptacle for automatically locking the same, means effecting an automatic control of the motor through movement of the pivotal support for the same, a slow-motion mechanism driven by the motor, and means operable by said slow-motion mechanism after a predetermined time interval to de-energize the mottor through actuation of said pivotal supthe combination with a receptacle for valuables, of an electric motor for closing said 7. In a device of the character described, s

receptacle, an intermediately pivoted frame supporting said motor substantially at one side of its pivot, a slow-motion mechanism driven by the motor and mounted upon said frame at the other side of its pivot, a switch remote from said motor controlling the same, another control switch for the motor urged to closed position by said frame under weight of the motor, means eiective upon closing of the receptacle for automatically locking the same, and means actuable by said slow m0- tion mechanism for rocking said frame counter to the weight of the motor, after a predetermined operation of the motor for opening the adjacent control switch.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination with a receptacle for valuables, of an electric motor for closing said receptacle, a switch remote from said motor controlling the same, a' pivotal frame supporting the motor, an automatic control switch forsaid motor, controlled by rocking of said frame, a normally open drive connection for closing the receptacle by the motor controlled by rocking of said frame, mechanism driven by the motor upon initial energization thereof, for rocking the frame sufficiently to close the drive connection for closing the receptacle, means effective upon closing of the receptacle for locking the same, and a slow-motion mechanism driven by the motor eeetive to further rock said frame after a predetermined time interval to open said automatic control switch.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination with a receptacle for valuables, of an electric motor for closing said receptacle, a switch remote from said motor mechanism'fori the lookngmeans driven by controlling` the same, means effective upon means carried by thedrawer'efeotng `lclosing of the last mentioned switch as. the drawer is opened. v In testimony whereof-I sign this sad'motor, aswitch vcontrolling the motor 131011. q automatically opened by said releasemeehanism upon release of the locking means, and

closing of the receptacle for automat'loallyv looking kthe same, a sloWfmot-on release specica- VEDWIN M. CLARK. 

